Raheem Sterling has revealed his primary reasons for joining Chelsea from Premier League champions Manchester City.
The 27-year-old joined the Blues in a deal worth £47.5m, penning a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge after a trophy-laden spell in Manchester.
Eyebrows were raised that Sterling would choose to walk away from working with Pep Guardiola, who has led City to four Premier League titles in the last five seasons, but the England international had seen his game time marginalised over the last 12 months.
Sterling did still feature in 30 Premier League games, scoring 13 times, and played a further 17 matches in all competitions. However, he clocked up just 2,128 minutes in the top flight and 23 starts – comfortably the lowest since his first season at City.
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The England international has confirmed his move to Chelsea was driven by a desire to look back at the prime years of his career as an upward curve, rather than a declining period of not starting as often as he previously had.
“As a person, you strive to achieve. I felt my playing-time at City was being limited for different reasons and I couldn’t afford to waste time,” Sterling said. “When I look back I didn’t want to see a decline and I want to keep that level.
“Since the age of 17, I have been a regular starter. But to get to a peak time in my career and not be playing as regular was something I didn’t want to accept. I tried to fight and change the scenario but it didn’t come.
“At first, I had a few options but this was the one that was tailor-made for my personal goals. It made a lot of sense for my family and with the direction of the club. They have been in four or five finals in the last few years and it made a lot of sense.
“I have a lot of memories and top moments at City but in the year and a bit that I was in and out of the team it made me value a lot of things. It was difficult and my kids went to school there but it’s one of those things in life where you have to make the right decision for yourself and your family.”
